Papa8217;s Prodigy

Salil Vishwa Mohan Bhatt's claim to fame is not only that his father is Grammy award winner Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, but also that he is a...

Salil Vishwa Mohan Bhatt8217;s claim to fame is not only that his father is Grammy award winner Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, but also that he is an outstanding Mohan Veena8217; player himself. He has been practicing and playing the Mohan Veena8217; for over 12 years, and has been giving group performances till he went solo a year ago. Whoever has heard him play, unanimously agree that he is brilliant8217;.

Salil is in awe of his famous father, and is 8220;fascinated by him.8221; 8220;He has this certain aura around him, no one can ever fathom what is going through his mind,8221; says Salil. Diametrically opposite to his father, Salil is a self-confessed chatter-box. 8220;I feel that a musician should be articulate and be able to communicate with the audience,8221; he says. On the perception that children with famous parents find success easily, he feels that he has to 8220;struggle even harder, because I am my father8217;s son. I have to prove myself to be able to step out of my father8217;s shadow.8221;

At his home in Jaipur, music has been ingrained into him since childhood, though he quickly adds that, he was never forced to do anything against his wishes. 8220;We follow the system of gurukula in Jaipur, and have students who stay and learn with us.8221; One incident he will never forget happened in Jaipur while he was learning from his father, 8220;My father, me and a few of his students were sitting and practicing, a lady with her young daughter came in and pointing towards the Mohan Veena8217; asked Panditji, 8220;Yeh aap kitne din mein bajana sikha deinge?8221; How long will you take to teach me this? Panditji replied, 8220;Mein khud tees saal se koshish kar raha hun, abhi tak Mohan Veena8217; ko theek se pakadh paya houn.8221; I have been trying to learn myself for 30 years and have only learnt how to hold the Mohan Veena8217; properly and the lady said to her daughter, 8220;Inko to kuch aata nahin hai, chalo kisi aur ke paas chalein.8221; He doesn8217;t know anything, let8217;s go to someone else.

8220;People today want everything instantly,8221; he continues, 8220;The learning process is never complete, once an artiste feels that way, he is finished.8221; The story behind the Grammy award winning album his father and Ry Cooder made, is also very interesting. 8220;My father and Ry Cooder just got together one night over a cup of coffee, and in five hours the music for A Meeting by the River8217; was ready.8221; He describes the album which won the Grammy in 1994, as a turning point in Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt8217;s life, and also for Indian classical music.

This 27-year-old is very laid-back when it comes to his career. 8220;I believe in letting things happen at their own pace.I only want to continue playing with my heart and soul,8221; he says.

quot;Doing riyaaz for eight hours will not prove what a great musician I am. As long as I keep playing honestly, I think I have succeeded in some small measure.8221; But even after he does attain success, his quest for spiritual satisfaction through music will never be over.